


To Fit Together

by NamineRose



Category: Pocket Monsters: Sword & Shield | Pokemon Sword & Shield Versions
Genre: Bottom Dande | Leon, Boys In Love, Getting Together, M/M, Mutual Pining, Romance, Top Kibana | Raihan
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-09
Updated: 2020-11-17
Packaged: 2021-03-09 09:13:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 16,732
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27468526
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NamineRose/pseuds/NamineRose
Summary: After taking on the position of chairman Leon finds himself busy and severely missing a certain dragon trainer. Maybe a little vacation together will help.Just a short story about two oblivious boys
Relationships: Dande | Leon/Kibana | Raihan
Comments: 23
Kudos: 85





	1. Being Busy

It had been almost a year since Eternatus was defeated and captured by the new champion and the region of Galar had begun to settle back into a new comfortable era of peace.

Sonia had taken on the mission of rediscovering and teaching the actual history of Galar with Hop as her apprentice- the two of them traveling to recently opened regions just outside of Galar as well in search of undiscovered legendary pokemon. Hop was having the time of his life learning more about Zacian and Zamazentaas well as the other newly rumored pokemon coming to light seemingly every week. He had known Sonia for years, as she had been his brothers friend since Hop was merely a toddler, but learning under her as an apprentice had taken some time to get used to. Now though he was striving with Sonia even trusting him to travel alone to the Isle of Armor to complete some research she had started, allowing him a bit of freedom to help him develop his own research and style.

Meanwhile back in Wyndon Gloria has already participated in two league competitions, defending her title each time with a smile and a goal, though still far off, to hold the title longer than her predecessor. The gym leaders had accepted her with fanfare and made sure to be available to help her learn the ropes of the league both on the field and off. Nessa came with her to her first photoshoot for a local magazine to give her not only modeling pointers but general moral support. Kabu and Bea took time out of their schedules to show her a few private training areas and Piers had sent her pointers early on on how to escape and avoid paparazzi. Despite her new very public position Gloria tried her best to keep in contact with Hop, Marnie and even Bede, by creating a group chat to help organize hangouts together on corresponding off days or to just check in with her other equally as busy friends. She kept in good contact with the former champion as well as Leon had made it known since his defeat that he would be available at all times to help Gloria transition into the role of Galars champion. The past two or three months however, although Gloria didn't have too many questions as of late, the former champion had been harder and harder to get a hold of.

Since his defeat and Chairman Rose's arrest, Leon hadn't been given a chance to really relax as he was immediately offered the position of Chairman by Oleana and Rose at Macro Cosmos and the Rose Tower. Not one to sit by and be idle Leon took the position on with little need for convincing- in a way he felt responsible too for Eternatus and proposed this as a good way to help fix the mess he had been unconsciously apart of. Not that the people of Galar blamed him for any part of Rose's plan however, they loved Leon, even after his defeat and made sure he knew it by supporting and endorsing his changes to both the tower and Wyndon. 

But being Chairman of a region was a lot harder than Champion and while Leon took joy in his new position he found himself often overwhelmed as well. Eternatus had destroyed part of the tower so construction was necessary as was hiring new staff once it was reopened, assuring anyone still loyal to Rose was weeded out for safety measures and restaffed with people focused only on providing both up and coming and visiting trainers a remarkable battle experience at the tower. There were also the legal cases involving Rose and his actions that Leon had to over see and untangle, making sure nothing was connected to the league or the gym leaders who had been left to help Gloria and Leon clean up the aftermath of Rose's plan. Any area or building that had been disturbed or destroyed during the random dynamax hot spots had been restored as well as any damage sustained to the gyms involved. Despite keeping busy, Leon found himself missing his friends only a couple months in- the loud dinners after tournaments, attending eachothers promotional events in support and even the boring league meetings.

The last time Leon had seen all of his friends had been a couple of months ago during a large promotional gala celebrating the official opening of Battle Tower. Even then however Leon was expected to wine and dine investors and the scientific researchers come to visit who were curious about the idea of dynamaxing and it wasn't until Melony stumbled into him, supposedly too intoxicated to walk straight, and wisked him away to assist her did he get a chance with his friends hidden away in a private room. Leon almost wanted to cry seeing them all there, waiting for him and Melony, dressed up to the nines for once instead of their gym uniforms. Like Melony, Nessa looked like she had come straight from a modeling gig, while Bea wore something more along the lines of a pantsuit still however, stunning. With the exception of Allister who dressed fairly formal on a daily, all of the guys had seemed to pull out their best suits, ties and bow ties included except for Piers and Raihan. Leon would pay good money to see Piers in a neck tie of any sort, the punk rocker absolutely refusing such a garment ever since they were kids as it clashed with his style. 

And Raihan...as usual Leon's gaze seemed to stall on the dragon type Gym leader and as usual the tall man looked sinful. His suit was a dark navy and was practically painted on with how well it was tailored to his form along with the dark gold waist coat and partially unbuttoned black dress shirt he wore under it. Raihan had a bad, well bad for Leon's heart rate, habit of keeping the top two if not three buttons of his dress shirts undone no matter what the setting and accenting said exposed skin with some sort of gold chain. Leon has seen similar ensembles on Raihan more times than he could count however that never stopped him from getting breathless each and every time.

The group of gym leaders had welcomed him loudly as soon as Melony had shut the door behind them, most coming forward for some sort of affectionate greeting be it a hug, a firm handshake or a strong sturdy pat on his shoulder, Milo was too strong for his own good really, and Leon grinned through all of it. He had missed them all especially-

"Heya champ! Long time no see. Its like your'a ghost lately" a fanged grin accompanied the firm hug Raihan pulled the smaller man into. Leon used to hate their height difference until Sonia had pointed out one time how cute it was that Leon's head fit right under the dragon trainers chin.

𝘓𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘱𝘶𝘻𝘻𝘭𝘦 𝘱𝘪𝘦𝘤𝘦𝘴

"I wish, at least as a ghost I'd be able to see Alistair" Leon laughed tilting his head up to look at Raihan, still pressed close.

"Alright boys, break it up. Its toasting time!" Nessa called out as she raised her glass above her head, the champagne left in it swishing around precariously. 

"As if you need more" Piers scoffed from where he was tilted back in his chair, his own mixed drink of god knows what held to his lips.

"Still lively as ever" Leon sighed fondly as Raihan took a step back, his arms finally dropping as he placed his hands on his hips and turned toward the group as they all gathered after grabbing or refilling their drinks. Allister, Gloria, Hop and the other underage attendees being handed a champagne glass of juice or pop so they could participate too.

"Ya I don't see 'em changing anytime soon" Raihan agreed laughing before moving to pick up two freshly poured champagne glasses off a nearby table, passing one to Leon. "Especially with these new youngins in here"

Leon smiled and took the proffered glass as Nessa and Milo called out a toast to success of the league, the Macro Cosmos and for Leon personally as Chairman. With a loud cheer they all stepped forward to clink glasses, Leon touching glasses lastly with Sonia then Raihan before tipping back to swallow the whole drink in one go, hoping to blame the sudden intake of alcohol for the heat under his collar as Raihan brushed up next to him taking his own drink. After one more glass, except for Nessa whom Sonia and Milo deemed done for the night, they returned to the party, trying to slip in casually though Leon has no doubt they all failed as they returned at the same time. Leon had felt so worn down before but now he felt revitalized- and oddly aware of bright cyan eyes tracking him through the room.

Another two hours had past, or maybe it was three, and the last of the gala attendees had left for their hotels, his trainer friends included as most of them had battles scheduled for the next day. Leon was expected to stay until every important guest was gone and had relocated himself to the balcony after bidding fair well to some scientist from the Kanto region, his name having to do with some sort of tree maybe? Leon had probably had too much to drink already. He was leaned against the balcony overlooking the lights of Wyndon below him, pleasantly warm despite the breeze, when some one leaned with their back against the railing next to him.

"I hope you don't have an early morning like the rest of them champ."

"Do you have the day off tomorrow?" Leon questioned instead as he glanced over toward his company.

Raihan grinned as he shook his head. "Nah, last few trainers have been defeated right before my tier. Which I'm not gonna lie, is a bit boring" he chuckled before turning to lean on the balcony the same way as Leon, city lights catching his eyes just right to make them glitter like some hopeful anime protagonist (and just enough that Leon felt almost entranced). 

"Most people would be glad for a break" Leon rolled his eyes before focusing back on the city below, chin resting in his propped up palm.

"Ya well I gotta keep sharp to beat both Gloria and you. No training makes for a dull dragon ya know."

Maybe it was the alcohol that caused Leon to snort the way he did and have to quickly press his face into his palm to cover his mouth in hopes of holding back his laugh and any other ridiculous noises. Before Leon could reply after calming down to tell the taller how stupid his joke was, Raihan spoke again.

"I miss you Lee"

Leon had never felt so sober yet so hazy before. Surely Raihan meant as a trainer, as the champion or even just in general at league meetings. But when he turned toward Raihan he wasn't expecting the other to be looking straight at him, smile soft and expression unguarded. He looked so young again. Like when they were ten years old hurriedly trying to escape the rain in the wild area and collapsing into a fit of giggles under a thick foliage tree both soaking wet and oh so happy. 

Suddenly Leon couldn't swallow right despite the fact his mouth felt ridiculously dry. He felt stupid, lost in a different way beside his shite directional skills, as he stared into Raihan's eyes, his expression still just as soft as he waited for a reply. 

"I missed you too"

The words were out before he could stop them but Leon meant it. He missed his friends and Hop, but he missed Raihan... differently. They'd always been friends ever since bumping into eachother on route two and then of course rivals as they started the vym challenge but there was always something more there. Something Leon didn't know how to name. Or maybe didn't want to. He felt the most himself with Raihan, when they used to crash at his place in Hammerlock after an event there, Rose uncaring as he at least knew Leon wasn't wandering lost at midnight. Or on days off when they'd go explore the wild area and purposefully Leon would lead so they would get lost, often setting up camp and letting both of their teams play while Leon made curry for lunch and Raihan played with baby pokemon stopping by in hopes of food. 

And just like in all those times and many more, there was something heavy sitting between Raihan and Leon as they stared at eachother on the balcony, the city below them dimming as people turned in for the night and staff members in the ballroom just beyond them cleaning up from the party. And just like all those other times before Leon was lost. It was like Raihan was reaching out toward him, fishing for something, but Leon didn't know where to grasp.

Leon refused to break eye contact as Raihan reached out, long fingers brushing Leon's cheek to push back some stay hair behind the shorter man's ear, Raihans gaze tracking his own movement before lifting back toward Leon's then away toward the city as he straightened up, retracting himself from Leon completely. Suddenly the chairman felt the cool breeze around them and suppressed a shiver at how cold it was.

"I like the new fit" Raihan grinned turning toward him again and gesturing at the ensembles Leon donned. "Classy". And just like that he broke whatever spell he had cast over them in the first place and Leon had to blink a few times to clear the rest of the haze before looking down at himself.

"Ah I'm glad. This is my new Battle Tower uniform. I thought the style would be reminiscent of medieval Galar. Like an homage to our founders. " he explained before grinning up at Raihan who had his lips pursed. Again he extended his hand but this time to flick at the cravat around Leon's neck with mild distaste. 

"This is silly" he declared making Leon shake his head and laugh in fondness at Raihan's sudden critique.

"And your faux teeth hoodie isnt?"

"I'm a dragon trainer. Teeth are my thing" he smirked, flashing his own sharp canines and that influencer worthy smile.

"And I'm a chairman. Classy title means classy attire." Leon shrugged with a smile as he turned to return to the ballroom. Hopefully he could leave soon, like Raihan had hinted at he did in fact plan on working early tomorrow. 

Faintly he heard Raihan mutter behind him something that sounded an awful lot like "Still look like my champ to me" before the gym leader was next to him and following him in.

Leon couldnt blame the alcohol this time for the warmth in his chest.


	2. A Plan Proposed

The sunlight that streamed through Leon's large office window was enticing as it basked his office in soft varying light- clouds drifting through the sky lazily- the epitome of a perfect spring day. It seemed to mock Leon as the light hit the stack of papers on his desk casting a shadow across the document he was currently hunched over, head in his hands and purple hair spilling over his shoulders like a mock curtain. He had begun his work today around seven this morning but he still felt incredibly behind, the stack of completed work not even half the size yet of the unfinished one. All the documents pertained to Galar's policy on pokemon accepted into the region. Leon wanted to lessen the strict custom laws and open Galar to more pokemon from other regions- no surprise there as he proudly owned a very spoiled Charizard- however between invasive species laws and permits every new page was a snag in his plans he had to untangle.

Setting his pen down the Chairman leaned back in the chair and brought his hands up to rub his palms over his eyes. It was nearing three in the afternoon but would another cup of coffee really hurt him? Before he could decide to get up to retrieve said caffeine his phone buzzed with an incoming message from his secretary just outside.

"Sir? There's someone here to see you" she informed. With a sigh Leon sat up straight, rolling his shoulders a bit as he did, before leaning forward to press the button to intercom her back.

"Go ahead and send them in."

As far as Leon knew he didn't have any meetings today but to be honest he would accept any distraction from the never ending documents before him. He debated for a moment the chaotic state of his desk before deciding he probably didn't have the time to clear it quick enough before his visitor stepped in. At least it showed he was working. His head snapped up toward the large mahogany door directly in front of him as he heard the handle click and begin to open. He certainly wasn't prepared for who came through it though and he was sure his face displayed it.

"Ya know, you are very hard to get a hold of mate. Didn't I buy ya a new phone for your birthday? Check it every now and then will ya?" Raihan chuckled as he shut the door behind him while looking around the large office space before letting out a low whistle. "Geez you really are all professional now. Look at this place!" he grinned as he made his way over to one of the tall book shelves adjacent to the desk.

Shaking his head a bit to clear his stupor Leon stood to address the other as he browsed through the books Leon kept mainly for display. "What in the world are you doing here Rai?" he exclaimed as he watched the taller abandon the books to make his way over to the chair on the opposite side of the desk and plop into it while Leon still stood and stared at him like he was a figment of Leon's sleep deprived brain.

"Like I said- you're hard to get a hold of. So I came to check in on ya." He shrugged flashing his canines up at the other as he reached forward to pick up Leon's old champion snap back from off the desk and turn it over in his hands a few times. Leon may not have been able to keep his cape but they'd have to pry his beloved snapback out of his cold dead hands. Usually he still wore it- even though it clashed with his new more formal attire- but he had taken it off earlier as the day wore on and a headache formed from staring at the small document print. Raihan was dressed casually in simple dark jeans and an orange hoodie, signature bandana in place to push back his hair, instead of his gym uniform signaling he probably had the day off. "Your secretary out there tried to tell me I had to wait a week an' make an appointment to come see you. It was ridiculous!" Raihan laughed tossing the hat back onto the desk with a soft flick of his wrist, aiming with care so it didn't knock anything over or get damaged somehow.

"And yet here you are." Leon hummed glancing at the returned hat then the gym leader, tone skeptical and curious as he crossed his arms and cocked his head to peer down at the other. A nice change for once if he was honest.

Raihan's answering smirk was smug as he leaned back in the chair, slinging one arm over the back in the perfect posture of relaxed before answering. "Nothing a signature on a league card and a selfie couldn't fix." His tone was proud- this was his usual way of bypassing rules anyway. A chance at a personal picture with a top tier gym leader, an extremely handsome one at that, who in their right mind would pass that up? Especially when said trainer posted most of his fan selfies on his Pokegram for everyone to see and they could show it off to their friends for months to come. 

Leon rolled his eyes as he reached down and brushed back the tails of his coat to avoid sitting on them before lowing himself back into his seat. "Of course you did. Great, now my secretary is just gonna let you walk in whenever." He feigned a loud sigh of distress which simply made the other throw back his head and laugh.

"As it should be! I should be a top priority- which is exactly why I am extremely hurt that my rival of all people has been ignoring me." Raihan's tone was obviously teasing however Leon thought there was maybe a hint of something like concern laced in as well. "No one's really heard from you since the gala."

Reaching out an arm in a sweeping motion the former champion gestured to the mess of paper work covering his desk. "Well getting this tower up and running has been a chore to put it lightly. And of course I'm expected to be involved in Rose's court cases, as well as clearing up any legal work involving him or the league or-"

"You gotta take a break mate or you're gonna burn out." 

Eyes wide Leon glanced away from his work and into Raihan's concerned gaze. The other was leaned forward now with his hands intertwined and his chin rested on them as he stared at Leon from over the desk. How was Leon supposed to tell him that he already felt like a burn out and had ever since he lost his title. A break meant free time which led to over thinking which led to feelings Leon still wasn't ready to face yet. Although he knew that wasn't what Raihan meant he still had to advert his eyes from the other.

"I'm fine Rai. I like to be busy you know that." He hoped his shrug would be enough to deter the gym leader as if Raihan hadn't known him for over ten years and could usually tell when Leon was stressed before he himself even knew it.

The dragon trainer was quiet for a moment simply observing Leon as the other continued to pointedly find interest in something on his desk instead of Raihan. After a moment he leaned back again and Leon thought maybe that he was gonna be kind enough to accept his lame excuse and drop the subject. If he was going to have some sudden time with the other he wanted to enjoy it. Even now though with things a bit tense under Raihan's scrutinizing gaze, Leon felt a bit more relaxed like some of the tension in his shoulders and back had just eased away upon the other walking in.

"Fine? Leon you've basically disappeared. Hop said he's talked to me recently more than you." his tone was soft but Leon felt so much guilt wash over him. When was the last time Leon had called Hop or even his Mum? He wanted the tower to succeed, to show that he was still on top of his game and moving on from being champion.

"I...guess it has been a while." He admitted softly and dared to glance back toward gentle cyan eyes. "Sorry I guess I just got so caught up in everything I didn't really pay attention to anything other than the tower." As he glanced down again his fingers began to fidget with the pen on his desk in need of something to distract himself from just how captivating Raihan's eyes were- especially when they gazed at him so fondly like that.

Raihan's larger hand reached out to cover Leon's own, stopping his fidgeting. "Lee no one's mad at you or nothin'. Just worried. Ya have this bad habit of putting your whole being into something. You're so driven its almost destructive." he chuckled.

"Working hard on your dreams is not destructive." Leon argued even though he knew Raihan was right- he wasn't just going to willingly admit that though. He allowed his eyes to glance at Raihan's hand over his own. The gym leader had always been warm but his touch now was nearly scalding but in an oddly pleasant way. And had his hands always been this big? 

"It is when ya start sleeping in your office mate."

Surprised Leon's head snapped up and his face began to burn as he watched Raihan nod his head toward the throw pillows and thin blanket strewn across the small couch in his office just under the window. Raihan slid his gaze back toward Leon as if daring him to refute his observation no doubt seeing the flush upon his cheeks at being caught. 

"It was easier." It was a lame excuse and they both knew it but again Leon wasn't backing down without at least attempting to save some part of his dignity. 

Raihan made some sort of scoffing noise as he squeezed Leon's hands before pulling back. "Uh-huh. Well I've seen enough." He stood suddenly, picking up Leon's snap back once again and twirling it around his finger by the space between the adjustable strap and the hat itself. "You champ, need a vacation." He declared, one fang glinting in a smirk.

A soft exhale left him and Leon shook his head, hands coming up to pat his cheeks as if trying to hurriedly dispel the blush on them before giving up and simply resting his head in his hands instead as he placed his elbows on the wood desk below him. "I can't just take off on a vacation Rai. There's too much to do still."

"You've earned a break Leon." Raihan sighed heavily and stopped twirling the hat for a moment in order to turn and focus his attention solely on Leon. "C'mon. Just you and me champ, just for a few days. We can go out of town- maybe explore one of those new towns Sonia's always yapping about." He bent down a bit over the desk trying to get low enough to catch Leon's eyes. "Like old times." he added on softly as he tried to work every angle of the Chairman's resolve.

A vacation where he could get away and relax, maybe explore a bit, he had to admit, sounded nice and was probably over due. A vacation where he could do all those things in the company of Raihan sounded even nicer. They used to go on little one or two day excursions during the off seasons but they had stopped that a couple years ago when Rose and Oleana had him booked practically every day with some sort of event claiming that as champion his focus was the people of Galar- not one singular person. Rose had always seen Raihan as a bit of a distraction not that there was anything he could do about it as he also knew Raihan pushed Leon to be the best he could be with their rivalry and friendship.

Slowly Leon tilted his head up, breath getting caught at how close Raihan had leaned in towards him. Leon could lean forward just an inch, maybe two, and touch his nose to the others. The gym leader's vivid eyes were set, determined, and the former champion knew he had lost. Where Leon out did him in physical battles, Raihan surpassed him in verbal ones most of the time.

"I'll try, okay?"

The smile that Raihan gave him as he straightened up was blinding and should be made illegal lest Leon go into cardiac arrest. All of his canines were on display and he looked insanely pleased with himself as pumped his fist- the one not holding Leon's hat- in a victory motion before taking a few steps back from Leon's desk toward the door.

"Let's aim for next weekend ya? I don't have anything scheduled yet so I'll keep it open!"

Leon pushed himself up and stood as the other walked away, desperately trying to wrap his head around what he had just possibly agreed to- alone time with Raihan. Maybe that wasn't a great idea. Not if his currently pounding heartbeat was any indicator. "I said I'll try Raihan but I don't think-"

"Next weekend!" the other called out, clearly not accepting his possible excuses anymore, as he opened the door to leave.

"Raihan my hat!"

The gym leader paused, a devilish smirk on his lips as he looked over his shoulder, cyan eyes narrowed in challenge as he raised the article of apparel in question a bit over his head. "Oh this? This is mine for now Lee. We'll call it insurance. See you next weekend champ."

Leon's eyes widened and he tried to scramble around his desk to get to Raihan as the other booked it out of his office. By the time Leon was in the doorway Raihan was already escaping the next door into the hallway and disappearing down it, dodging people as he headed out of the tower, Leon's hat secured in his hand and his laugh echoing through the hall. With a groan Leon ran his hands into his hair at the top of his scalp as he tilted his head to stare up into the florescent lights above. "Maria?" he called to his stunned secretary who was still staring wide eyed at where Raihan ran out. "Would it be possible to not schedule anything next weekend? I think I'm going to take a vacation." He couldn't help the soft chuckle that escaped him as he lowered his arms to cross them and lean against his door frame.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Later that night Leon's phone buzzed on the bathroom counter, a media message notification from Raihan popping up. Glancing at it Leon quickly finished rinsing his mouth of toothpaste before picking it up to open it. On his screen sat an image from Raihan- his precious hat sitting upon Raihan's night stand in his flat at Hammerlocke, an Axew curled up on one of the pillows on the bed next to it- and the caption 'Can't wait for next weekend champ! Sleep well!'

At least in the privacy of his own flat he didn't have to hide the soft smile that overtook his lips as he sent his response before turning off the lights and heading to bed.

'Next Weekend. Good night Rai'

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is gonna be only 4 or 5 chapters I think so I can ease back into writing. TBH I just needed more LeonXRaihan fluff in my life so I'm self indulging. Thanks so much for reading btw! <3
> 
> Also I would like to point out Raihan's hands are proportionally to his height same as Leon- I wrote they were big and my friend spammed me with 'Yaoi hand' memes when she beta read it and that is not at all what I mean lol.


	3. A Hallmark Scene

The week went by quickly and after receiving a vague message from Raihan last night simply stating 'Meet me at the station at 8. Pack warm!', Leon found himself walking down the streets of Wyndon with his duffle bag on his back and Charizard at his side to help guide him. Seeing as it was around seven thirty- Leon always left early because even with Charizard he was easily distracted- the city was still fairly calm as it began to wake up. The few people that did pass him greeted him cheerful good mornings and he had already been stopped by a group of visiting female trainers who shyly asked for a photo with the ex-champion- another reason he left early. After that brief interaction the rest of his walk was fairly quiet giving Leon a moment to actually enjoy the crisp morning air around him. While he was nervous about being away from the tower for a few days he was just as excited about three whole days with his best friend on a mystery adventure. He wondered where Raihan was taking him to, especially with the advisory to dress warm as Raihan didn't really care for the cold himself.

A small tug on the back of his jacket pulled Leon from his thoughts and he turned just in time to see Charizard lift his head back up and look toward the opposite end of the street than Leon was currently headed.

"Whoops. Thanks bud. What would I do without you?" He laughed sheepishly before turning around to correct his wrong turn. He could see the train station now at least just down the way so his chances on taking another wrong turn were lessened. A glance at his watch told him it was seven fifty-two so he should be right on time for once.

As he approached the train station he could spot Raihan in his gym leader hoodie leaned against the brick outside by the entrance, phone in hand no doubt checking his social media feed. Once Leon was a few feet away Raihan glanced up and a grin overtook his face as he stood straight and pocketed his phone while his other hand lifted in greeting.

"Look at you, on time for once." He teased as Leon stepped in front of him. "I'm guessing that's thanks to you, huh big guy." Ignoring Leon's huff of feigned annoyance he stepped forward to rub a hand over Charizard's nose who grumbled in affection and pushed into the touch.

"Hey I'm here- and on time! Where's my greeting?" Leon set a pout on his lips until the gym leader rolled his eyes and turned toward him and away from Charizard.

"Ah come'ere ya baby. You can have pets too." Without warning Raihan grabbed him and pulled him into a hug, a hand coming up to ruffle the top of Leon's head in a childish display while Leon tried to fight against him and escape before his hair was a complete mess. No doubt they were making a scene as they wrestled for a moment but neither really cared.

Finally Raihan released him and laughed as the ex-champion grumbled and huffed, hands reaching up to re-tame his hair to something presentable again before they entered the station.

"Here will this help?" Finally calming down Raihan reached around into his bag and pulled out the hat he had stolen from Leon last week and held it out, laughing again when Leon all but snatched it before proceeding to check it over as if looking for any damage.

"I still can't believe you stole my champion hat." He muttered as he situated it on his head where it belonged and suddenly feeling a bit more dressed and like himself. All of his snapback hats were precious to him but this one undoubtedly took top priority. With one last thank you to his partner Leon returned Charizard to his ball and turned to face Raihan who still looked entirely too smug with himself.

"Needed to make sure ya'd come champ." He shrugged before clapping a hand on Leon's shoulder. "Ya excited for our trip?"

"I am." He smiled softly. "But I'd be more excited if I knew where we were headed."

Raihan moved his hand to reach into his large hoodie pocket, pulling out two train tickets and holding them out toward Leon proudly. "Circhester! Melony is letting us borrow her cabin over on route nine." He exclaimed before Leon could really read the small print on the tickets.

Eyes wide with sudden excitement the other looked past the tickets and up at Raihan. "Really?" He gasped before taking a ticket and examining it as if to make sure Raihan wasn't just teasing him. Leon absolutely loved the snow. The Pokemon that lived there were interesting and there was something so refreshing and almost childlike about it. Even when they were kids and traveling for the league tournament Leon never wanted to leave route nine, content to make snow angels until he froze. Sonia and Raihan had to practically drag him away so they could make it to town before night fall. Wait- 

"Raihan you hate the snow." Leon stated as he jerked his head up from looking at the ticket to focus on the dragon trainer in front of him. Raihan looked a bit sheepish as he lifted a hand to rub at the back of his neck, his gaze off to the side and cheeks a bit darker with a faint blush - as if he had been caught over something.

"Ya...but you love the snow." He explained and shrugged slightly. "This is a vacation for you so I wanna take ya to somewhere ya'd enjoy. Besides when was the last time you've been down there?" He lowered his hand to stuff it in his pocket with his other one and turned back toward Leon, face still a bit discolored. With a blink of his eyes Leon was suddenly throwing himself into the taller male, arms wrapping around the gym leader tightly as he buried his face into his collarbone. Shifting one of his feet back to balance them, Raihan untucked his arms to return the embrace, a smile on his lips.

"I love it. Thank you." He mumbled into the other's hoodie.

They stood there for a good moment, neither really ready to pull back just yet, and just enjoyed the presence of the other. The two of them had always been a bit touchy with each other ever since they were kids although there was no real reason as to why except for the fact that Leon was a bit oblivious and there-for often forgot the concept of personal space and Raihan had never really minded light skin ship with any of his friends. But honestly it had been a long time since they had actually been able to hug for anything longer than a brief greeting- in fact when was the last time Leon had had any prolonged contact with anyone?

Eventually Raihan gave the shorter a strong pat on the back as the signal they both took to pull away. "Trains gonna be leaving soon, Let's head in, ya?"

Leon nodded and readjusted his hat before following the other into the train station, both too content with themselves and excited for their trip to notice the people nearby watching the duo fondly.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Arceus it's cold." Raihan grumbled through gritted teeth as they started their way from the station up the hill toward Melony's cabin. With the simple map the ice-type leader had given him clutched tightly in one gloved hand, he shoved the other in his pocket and hunched up his shoulders as he tried to suppress a shiver.

"You chose this torture." Leon hummed happily in reminder as he walked ahead constantly stopping to watch a nearby Pokemon in the grass or to simply look over the scenery, completely unaware of Raihan's fond smile as he watched Leon.

Most of their walk was quiet with the occasional curse from the dragon trainer about the cold or an exclamation of excitement from Leon. It didn't take too long before Raihan let out a sigh of relief as it came into view. It was simple log cabin set up with a wrap around covered porch but to Raihan it look like heaven. Leon couldn't help but laugh as the other fumbled with getting they key from his pocket and letting them in. The inside was nicer than either of them could have imagined as it seemed completely modern despite it's outside appearance.

"Hey look, Melony was nice enough to leave some dry firewood in here. She probably knew you were gonna freeze to death." The champion laughed as he looked around the living room before moving on to the kitchen and bedrooms while Raihan still struggled to remove his shoes in the entry way.

"Thank Arceus." the other huffed finally getting his boot off and migrating toward the mentioned fire place. "If ya wanna turn on the heater I'll get this set up so when we come back we can have dinner by the fire." Raihan called out as he set about arranging logs in the fire place and setting kindling for the base.

"How romantic." Leon couldn't help but tease after flipping on the heater from the thermostat- leaving it set at whatever Melony had it pre programmed to. She was letting them borrow this place for free so Leon wasn't going to try and run up her electric bill. A soft chuckle escaped him as he heard Raihan scoff in the other room at his remark.

After another look at the kitchen and the fresh food in the fridge (Melony had left a note on the fridge telling then to use whatever they wanted) Leon returned to the living room in time to watch Raihan finish setting up for their fire tonight and get up. "All good to lite when we come back." He hummed as he dusted some ash off his gloves.

"Sounds good. Want me to cook dinner tonight?" Leon felt like he needed to contribute something to this whole getaway. Raihan was spoiling him enough with bringing him here and setting everything up for this trip.

A soft whistle escaped Raihan and he nodded in agreement quickly. "Only if ya make that famous leek curry of yours. I haven't had that in like, a year."

Leon smiled and gave a firm nod. "Of course. Ready to head out?"

Leon wished he could have captured the face Raihan pulled with his Rotom because it was the perfect display of one accepting their fate as Raihan was reminded that he was expected to step back into the cold outside. He groaned but nodded in defeat. "Only for you mate. Only for you." He grunted before trudging back toward his boots while Leon laughed at his anguish.

For the next few hours they explored the area around them, taking turns laughing when the other slipped on ice or stepped into snow that was a lot deeper than anticipated. They had no real destination in mind as they hiked around, stopping once or twice to capture a Pokemon that caught their eye. They had to book it out of one of the areas after Leon successfully captured a Eiscue when a wild group of Mr. Mime popped up out of no where and began to head toward them at a startling speed. While Leon owned a Mr. Rime already he had no intention of having more- and something about how wild Mr. Mimes galloped toward then unnerved him if he was honest. Once they were a safe distance away both men collapsed in the snow in a fit of laughter.

"Well I'm going to be having nightmares tonight." Raihan declared as he caught his breath from where he sat up in the snow.

"I'll make sure to send Mr. Rime in to calm you." Leon teased before breaking into another laughing fit at Raihan's horrified expression at the mere thought.

"That's just...just mean." Raihan gasped in mock hurt and made a show of clutching over his heart as if wounded which only resulted in Leon falling over in the snow again and laughing harder. "Oh so ya wanna laugh at my new found trauma? Alright then." Standing quickly Raihan reached over into one on the snow banks beside him and began to compact the snow he had grabbed in between his hands.

Leon tried to fight through his chuckles and hurried to stand up but the first snow ball hit him in the shoulder before he could, the second hitting his back as he scrambled behind a snow bank just in time to dodge a third. He begin crafting his own ammunition to retaliate, peeking over the bank to make sure Raihan didn't catch him off guard while he readied his aim. As soon as the dragon trainer turned to try and throw his next snowball, a burst of cold and wet exploded in his face took him by surprise and he sputtered as he shook his head. "Okay that was dirty! It's on now mate." He called out grinning as he blindly chucked the snow still in his hand in Leon's direction- still managing to hit the ex champion on the brim of his hat.

The two only stopped their impromptu fight when the cold finally seeped into their lungs and they sat down with a breathy agreement of truce as they tried to catch their breath again, smiles on both boys faces.

"If I catch a cold I'm blaming you." Raihan grumbled as he unzipped his parka to shake out the remainder of the snow Leon had dumped down it in a sneak attack after Raihan had pelted the other in the face with not one but two snowballs prior. When he stood to zip it back up properly he offered his hand and helped pull Leon up as well.

"I'll take responsibility and come nurse you back to health." Was the other's answer, not even bothering to deny the possibility of either of them getting sick after this trip as he tried his best to shake and comb snow out of his mane of hair. Raihan grinned and lifted his own hands to help him out when he saw just how much of of mess the purple, and now dusted white, locks were. Between the two of them they got most of it out and Leon hummed his thanks, dropping his hands while Raihan's own gathered up all of his hair, helping shake it out one last time before brushing it all behind Leon's shoulders.

"It's gotten even longer. I didn't know that was possible." Raihan hummed amazed as he looked at it brushed down the others back, it was almost to his hips now maybe just an inch or two away from them.

"Ya, I should probably cut it soon." He debated as he lifted a shorter strip near the front of his hair up to examine it. Leon lifted his head in surprise when he saw Raihan shake his head rapidly in his peripherals. 

"It looks good like this. I like it long." Their eyes met for a moment before both men felt heat rush up their necks and they quickly glanced away from each other as Raihan cleared his throat. "Ah what I mean is it'd be weird if ya cut it now right? Everyone's always commented it looks good long." A hand came up to rub at the back of his neck while Leon prayed his face was still red enough from the cold and that his blush wasn't as obvious as it felt.

"Ya, you're right, best to just let it run its course." He agreed quickly and busied himself with dusting some more snow off of himself even though it was pointless at this point. "Where to now Rai?" 

Taking the offered subject change Raihan glanced around them trying to figure out approximately just where they were before answering.

"The lake should just be down this slope." He decided and began to lead the way when Leon nodded.

By the time they made their way over to the lake the weird atmosphere they had created earlier was gone and they staked out an area after renting some fishing poles from a small shack nearby. While neither of them really caught anything they spent their time catching up on everything Leon had missed since shutting himself up in the tower. Raihan told him that Gloria was becoming a fine champion and defending her title well. Leon already knew this as he watched the battles on TV but he was glad to hear that she was fitting in with gym leaders and the position so well. He knew how daunting it was to be so young in such a highly prized position and while he was the one now over seeing the league, he hadn't had too much time to actually talk to Gloria himself. Raihan also filled him in on the shenanigans with the gym leaders and himself that Leon had missed out on. Like how Raihan and Flygon had to come out and help Milo find a bunch of escaped Wooloo a few months ago, and that just last month Nessa lost a bet to Piers of all people and she had to dye her blue hair extensions dark pink for a month to match Spikemuth's colors.

"You really need to find more time to come hang out mate. We all miss ya. It's weird not having ya there." Raihan hummed as he cast his line back into the lake after reeling in another false bite.

"I'll try. I promise. I've missed you guys too." Leon meant it too. His heart ached hearing everything he had missed out on. Not only with his friends but with Hop and the others too. He wanted to be there more for Gloria as she continued to defend her champion title, and he wanted to see the research his brother had taken on. He read the texts Hop always sent him about his projects but it was usually too late at night for him to reply as he didn't want to risk waking his little brother. "Now that the Battle Tower is up and running I should have more free time."

Technically Leon had free time before, he just chose to work through it but being here now, laughing with his best friend in the numbing cold, he wanted to actually step aside and create time to hang out with everyone. As soon as he got back to the tower he was going to have Maria start leaving open slots in his schedule and he was going to surprise Hop first by taking him out on a lunch date.

Just as they both began to stand, accepting that they weren't going to catch anything today, an older fisherman approached them. 

"You boys better get to packin' up an' headed t'ward shelter. A big storms a comin' in." He called out as he came closer. "I can take 'em poles back for ya and ya'll can get a goin'. It's gonna be a nasty 'ne from the looks of those them clouds." He drawled pointing up toward some dark clouds just off the lake. Leon followed his gaze and glanced at each other before back at the old man and handing over their poles.

"Thank you" Leon smiled. "We'll take your word and head back to our cabin."

The man nodded and turned to head to the small shack where Leon and Raihan had rented the poles from while the two boys turned to trudge quickly back up the hill.

About halfway back to the cabin the wind began to kick up immensely and it began to snow- the visibility in front of them dwindling considerably with every passing minute. Finally the cabin came into view and both boys rushed toward it, sighing with relief as they closed the door on the storm outside and basked in the warmth of the entry way while the wind began to howl outside.

"Geez I didn't know snow storms like that could happen so fast. Another reason to hate this weather" Raihan grumbled as they began to shed shoes and jackets. "I'll go a head and get that fire going." He stated once done and headed into the living room while Leon turned toward the kitchen. He wanted to get the curry going for dinner before the storm did something like take out the power.

As Leon got everything in the pot he moved on to one of the rooms where he changed into dry clothes then gathered up one of the quilts to bring it into the living room where Raihan was sitting in front of the fire place making sure it stayed strong. He must have changed into dry clothes when Leon was getting the ingredients for dinner prepared since he also had a smaller towel draped over his shoulders- presumably from drying off the wet remainder of snow on his neck and face. He dumped the blanket on the couch and shrugged when Raihan turned and cocked his head in question as he lifted a second towel up toward Leon who took it and began to pat dry his hair with it. "What? I wanna get comfortable and eat."

Rolling his eyes Raihan stood and followed Leon back into the kitchen so they could dish up their plates, both boys starving from being out all day. Leon chuckled fondly as he watched the gym leader dance around a bit as he scooped a large helping of curry onto his plate, humming a little song about 'yummy, yummy curry' before rolling his eyes and leading the way back toward the welcoming heat of the fire. 

No sooner had they set their plates on the coffee table and sat down, Leon on the couch and Raihan on the ground leaned against it, the room delved into a soft darkness-the orange glow from the fire suddenly the only source of light as the blizzard outside didn't allow much light in through the windows despite it only being about four pm. Eyes wide Leon and Raihan glanced around the room and then back at each other at a loss.

"Ya know, if you wanted a candle lit dinner ya could have asked." Raihan teased referencing Leon's comment from earlier before standing and grabbing his coat and boots to go check on the power box and generator outside. 

Leon caught his gaze when he returned a moment later and Raihan shook his head as he shed his outerwear again and sat back down. "Generators out, looks like the back up only really powers the fridge. Stove is gas and we have the fire place, we'll be fine" He assured as he caught Leon's concerned frown. He lifted his plate on his lap with a shrug and began to eat. "We can just grab the other quilt and the pillows and sleep out here together."

Leon nearly dropped his plate at the thought but instead he nodded and focused on eating his dinner while his imagination ran wild. Every cliché Holiday movie Leon had ever watched played through his head with Raihan now replacing the love interest. Raihan would play the part perfectly too with that charming grin he always gave Leon when trying to talk the other into some dumb idea, or with how he unknowingly made Leon's heart pound whenever he slipped a hand through Leon's hair or across his cheek. Sliding his gaze up from his plate Leon took in how the fire light casted shadows on Raihan's face, making his skin glow and his features even sharper. As if feeling his gaze his rival looked up from his phone screen and gave a curious smile at him in question. Leon's breath caught in his throat and he shook his head before shoving the rest of his food in his mouth and standing quickly to escape to the kitchen. 

There was no way he was gonna survive tonight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had to redo this chapter five times just to set the pace right so hopefully it reads ok!


	4. Keeping Warm

The wind outside was relentless as a new fresh layer of snow began to blanket route nine, piling up quickly until everything was simply white and you couldn't even see where the path was supposed to be. There was very little movement outside in the snow flurry as even the native Pokemon had chosen to hunker down until the worst of the storm had passed. It made Leon feel a bit uneasy as he looked out the window and watched the snow fall endlessly until it was just a blank void. They had tried to tune an old crank radio they found to a news or weather station but all they received was static, meaning all they could do was sit and wait for it to pass. A soft bump into his shoulder brought Leon out of his trance and he turned a bit to see Raihan beside him holding out a hot cup of tea, a soft smile on his face.

With his own smile Leon uncrossed his arms to take the offered beverage with both hands while Raihan glanced behind him out the window. “Geez it’s pretty bad out there, huh? Sorry Lee, I didn’t know it was going to blizzard- the weather report looked clear.” He sighed.

Leon looked up at Raihan before shaking his head and following his gaze out the window again. “It’s okay, we still had fun today.” He shrugged as he blew at the top of his drink before lifting it to his lips. Raihan nodded his agreement and for a moment they both stood in the window frame to watch the storm outside. Pressing his cup up to his lips Leon hid a slight smile at the thought of how domestic the scene felt with both of them in sweaters, shoulder to shoulder.

When Leon turned away from the window to go relocate to the couch he was surprised to find that Raihan was no longer looking out the window but at him instead, eyebrows furrowed slightly as if contemplating something.

“Something wrong?” Leon tilted his head as he lowered the cup from his face and more toward his chest as he surveyed the others expression. 

For a moment Raihan was quiet before a soft chuckle escaped him and he shook his head. “Ah no not really, just...thinking.”

With a hum Leon moved around him and set his mug on the coffee table before he sat on the couch himself. “You? Thinking? Dangerous.” he teased making Raihan stick his tongue out at him as he too came and set his tea down.

“Ya, ya. I’m gonna go grab the bedding and we can set it up.” He waved a hand at Leon to sit back down when he tried to follow and soon returned with another quilt, a flannel sheet and a stack of pillows which he dumped on the ground in front of them. Once done depositing the bedding he disappeared into the kitchen only to return with a few of the chairs and a smirk.

Leon watched him move for a moment in confusion before he began to laugh at the realization of Raihan’s plan. “Rai...are you really trying to make a fort right now?”

“Trying is the key word. It’s much easier with two people helping.”

Rolling his eyes at the fanged grin he was given he stood and moved both of their cups to the mantle out of harms way before returning to help the gym leader. After some trial and error, and several chairs, they had something resembling a fort built up around the couch and facing the fireplace. With a triumphant grin Raihan retrieved his mug and crawled inside to finish propping up the pillows, Leon following behind him to arrange the coffee table where they could still use it.

“You’re ridiculous.” he informed as he got situated himself and glanced around at their handy work. The hardest part was getting the roof high enough for Raihan and his stupid tallness to sit down comfortably.

“Maybe. But I’m also very comfortable so I’m okay with it.” The other laughed as he grabbed the spare blanket to toss over their laps after setting his phone on its kickstand on the coffee table, a battery pack plugged into it. “I’ve got a few movies downloaded on here.” He explained as Leon finished his tea and watched him press an application on his phone.

“I’m sure whatever you have on there I haven’t seen.” Leon laughed after setting his empty mug to the side. He wasn’t even sure when he last watched any type of movie but he was sure it had been a while.

Raihan hummed as he choose something and settled back down beside Leon. They were even closer than when they had been at the window with their arms pressed against each other. Well they were before Raihan suddenly lifted his arm up to rest it on the couch cushions behind them making Leon, who was not anticipating the sudden movement, fall into the dragon trainers side.

Eyes wide and face quickly warming Leon sputtered a bit before he moved to shift away from the other until Raihan moved his arm again to drape it over Leon’s other shoulder and effectively cage him in. The ex champion’s entire body tensed as he realized the position they were in, and how unfairly comfortable it was. From this close Leon was sure Raihan could hear his heart pounding.

“Something wrong champ?” 

Raihan’s question held some genuine concern but it also sounded almost teasing and when Leon craned his head to look up at him there was something smug in Raihan’s bright cyan eyes. It was almost like a dare- a dare for Leon to either move or to comment on their newfound position. Once again Raihan had created something tense between them just like he had on the balcony at the gala a few months ago or like the numerous times before in the last couple of years. This time however there was no one else nearby. Not Rose or a stadium full of people or an interviewer, just them, both waiting for the other to do 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨.

Gold eyes stared back for a moment and with a soft but deep breath Leon took the challenge for what it was. “Nope.” He answered, smiling, before he turned back to face the phone again and letting his body relax into Raihan’s while the movie began to play.

“Good.” Raihan’s voice was deep and sounded pleased, his breath fanning over Leon’s ear making the other have to suppress the shiver that ran down his spine because there was no way the gym leader wouldn’t have felt it with them pressed together like this.

Leon had the fleeting thought as his heartbeat drummed in his ears that if he did have a heart attack there was no to call to come revive him.

At some point as Leon focused on the movie his heart began to settle down and while he still felt ridiculously warm with their position he also felt completely relaxed. Raihan had been oddly still and quiet throughout the whole film and if it hadn’t been for him occasionally drifting his fingertips over Leon’s arm where they were settled at, Leon would have thought he had fallen asleep. Before when Leon had watched movies with the other at his flat in Hammerlocke he always made some sort of comment at something happening on screen or at the very least got up for a snack.

Leon tried not to dwell on the thought too long in fear of getting his hopes up over something unreasonable. Raihan liked action movies like this one so maybe this particular movie was just brand new to him too and he was invested in it. However, Leon himself felt ready to fall asleep. While the movie was interesting, with the warmth he was enveloped in, the way his head fit perfectly against Raihan’s shoulder and chest, and with the soft touches over Leon’s arm, Leon contemplated the idea of closing his eyes for just a moment.

He was just about to drift off when he felt Raihan’s chest underneath him reverberate with a deep chuckle and the other’s voice, gravely from lack of use, in his ear again. “You’re drifting off champ.” he informed although he didn’t sound at all upset over the fact.

Leon hummed in response, at least he was pretty sure he did, and tried to shift himself a bit to sit up except his body felt heavy and he didn’t seem move far. Squeezing Leon’s shoulder Raihan shifted himself so Leon sunk even further into him before he rested his head on top of the smaller man’s.

“Go ahead and sleep Lee.” He breathed and Leon let himself give in to the gentle command, drifting his eyes shut to let the exhaustion of the day take over.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Leon wasn’t sure how long he slept for but when he finally awoke it was completely dark outside and the movie was over- the phone screen dark indicating that it hadn’t been touched for a while. Blinking a few times to shake the sleep trying to cling to him, Leon began to move slowly as he re-positioned himself enough to look up and find Raihan with his head leaned back on the cushions and his face lax with sleep. Carefully Leon removed the other’s arm from around him and pushed himself up so he could escape the makeshift tent.

Once able to stand again Leon stretched, feeling his back pop back into place, before he made his way to the rest room. When he returned to the living room he grabbed a couple of logs and began to revive the fire as it was just embers now. The air in the room around them was still warm so it hadn’t been out too long thankfully and Leon had it roaring back to life easily. Satisfied that it was going strong again he turned to crawl back into the fort, pausing at the entrance and straightening up to rest back on his heels when he realized he was being watched.

Raihan was sitting up straighter than when Leon had left him with his head cocked a bit to the side, one leg slightly outstretched and the other bent up at the knee with Raihan’s arm lazily draped over it. For a moment they just stared at each other and Leon felt oddly like prey with how intense the dragon trainer’s gaze was. 

“You left.” The slightest pout was on Raihan’s lips however his gaze remained steadily fixed on the man in front of him.

“I had to use the rest room. And the fire went out.” His tongue darted out to lick his lips after his explanation and Leon watched as Raihan’s eyes tracked the movement. 

The fire at Leon’s back was warm but it could never compare to the warmth that bloomed in his chest just then. Again the atmosphere was heavy but this time Raihan broke it before Leon could even think to, too distracted with how Raihan openly dragged his eyes over Leon’s form- encased by the firelight.

“Come here.” Two of his fingers from the hand draped across his knee curled in a motion that accompanied his command and Leon’s chest grew tight as he forgot how to breath. Raihan’s tone was gentle, it almost always was when directed at Leon he had noticed, but it was the intensity of his gaze that had Leon crawling forward until he was situated between the other’s legs.

As Raihan leaned forward to rest his chin on Leon’s shoulder among lilac waves and his hand settled on the chairman’s lower back, Leon found his voice again even though it came out a bit breathless.

“You’re acting weird...” Heart pounding, Leon lifted his hands to rest on Raihan’s shoulders and he tried to take a deep breath to settle his nerves. 

Raihan simply hummed in reply but didn’t offer any more than that. Time seemed to still as they embraced like that with Leon on his knees as he waited for the gym leader to make another move. After a few more moments Raihan’s voice rose up softly in the quiet, barely louder than the popping of the fire beyond them.

“Why’d ya disappear Lee?”

Leon wasn’t prepared for the amount of hurt in those words and he unconsciously gripped a bit harder at Raihan’s shoulders trying to ground himself. He wanted to lie- he had to take over the Tower- but the emotion in the other’s question stopped him in his tracks and he knew what Raihan was really asking. 

“I couldn’t handle loosing. I felt like such a disappointment to myself, to Hop, to you.” Leon took a deep breath and focused on the couch behind Raihan before continuing. “So I needed to do something…anything to keep my mind off of it. If I focused on the Battle Tower I didn’t have to face the fact that I felt like I didn’t know who I was anymore.”

Suddenly his legs felt weak and when he allowed himself to sink down so he was sitting with his legs on either side of his own waist, Raihan followed his movement as he refused to move from Leon’s shoulder.

“My whole life I had dreamed of being champion and suddenly I had to scramble to reinvent myself. I felt like I didn’t really belong with you guys anymore. I know that sounds ridiculous but it was like without the champion title...” Leon’s words got caught in his throat as he tried to hold back the sob that welled up in his chest.

“Oh Leon,” Raihan sighed and he pulled back enough to face the other, moving his hand up to cup Leon’s cheek when he tried to look away from him. “You could never disappoint us. Especially me.” He smiled as he swiped away a stray tear with his thumb and caught Leon’s gaze. “We don’t care if you're the champion. You’re Leon- and that’s more than enough.”

It was like a dam was broken inside of Leon and he wrapped his arms fully around the others neck so he could sink into him, hiding his face in his neck when he felt the tears come on. Raihan moved the hand that had been on his cheek into his hair and hummed softly as Leon shook against him.

“Come back to us Lee. To me. Please.” He breathed and held him tighter when he felt Leon nod into his shoulder.

When Leon’s breath finally evened out he sat up and scrubbed a hand over his eyes with a weak laugh before dropping both hands into his lap. “Wow sorry, I just...” He broke off at a loss for words and watched as Raihan shook his head.

“Hey we all need a good cry sometimes right?” He smiled and lifted his hands to rub at Leon’s arms soothingly as he sat back against the couch once more to give Leon some space. “Feeling better?”

“Yeah actually, a lot better. Thank you Rai. You're always here when I need you.” Leon smiled, his tears dry now although his eyes were still a bit damp with leftover emotion. “I’m sorry I kinda ran away.” 

“To be honest I’m just relieved it wasn’t because of something I had done.” A soft chuckle escaped him as he tilted his head back onto the cushions.

Leon’s eyebrows knitted together in sudden confusion as he regarded his friend in front of him. “Something you had done?”

Raihan hummed and gave a slight nod. “I thought I had maybe overstepped in my advances and scared ya off.” He explained, eyes trained on the fabric roof above them so he didn’t see how Leon’s expression grew even more puzzled. “I know as soon as Rose was out of the picture I got a bit bold.”

After a moment of silence Raihan lifted his head again and took in Leon’s look of pure confusion.

“Advances?”

For a moment Raihan just stared at him before he broke into a fit of laughter. Still thoroughly lost Leon frowned as he waited for the other to stop, arms crossing over his chest in slight annoyance.

“Oh Arceus you’re dense Lee.” he wheezed finally and sat up to lean back into Leon’s space, cyan eyes full of mirth and something Leon would almost describe as hunger. “Good thing you’re cute huh?”

Before Leon could respond Raihan was surging the rest of the way forward as his hands found their way into Leon’s mane of hair to encompass his face and his lips found Leon’s. The chairman’s arms lifted of their accord to rest his hands on Raihan’s chest although he wasn’t entirely sure why because there was no way he was going to push his friend off of him- not when his lips were so soft against Leon’s own and he had been dreaming of this for Arceus knows how long.

Honestly Leon wasn’t sure if he was still awake or if somehow he was dreaming, but when Raihan tilted his head for an even better angle Leon decided he didn’t care.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One more chapter and then this little mini story will be done! I'll most likely create more mini stories based off this one since this is my comfort ship but I'd rather do short stories than a super long fic right now.
> 
> Hope you all are staying safe! <3


	5. Feelings Returned

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A bit of Raihan's POV so a lil flashback through the last couple years.  
> The age Raihan and Leon are will be written before the flashback in italics to help keep an idea of the timeline I have in my head. I head cannon that Raihan went into training to be a gym leader after loosing the league at 10, but didn’t take over till he was about 18.

𝘌𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘦𝘦𝘯

Raihan had always been a bit of a flirt, maybe not as much as the tabloids and magazines claimed, but the dragon trainer was naturally charming and this special skill had served him well from childhood until now. It was how he sealed promotions and sponsors for his gym as well as slide his way out of troublesome interview questions.

However today no matter how much he made the woman sitting across from him blush, it seemed like he wasn't going to be able to get out of her instant questioning about a certain lilac haired man.

“So we all know that you and the champion started your league journey together, and now you're both in high tiers in that same league, so would you mind telling us about your relationship with the Champion?”

“Ah well I wasn’t the only one who traveled with Leon when we were younger, Piers and Sonia did as well.” He was trying to deflect the question as much as possible from that ‘relationship’ term these gossip interviews loved to use but he could see the determination in this woman’s eyes.

“Yes, but currently you are his rival correct? Second best to the Champion and constantly working hard to dethrone him. But outside of your battles there have been many fan accounts with pictures of the two of you being quite...friendly.” She leaned forward in her chair and Raihan plastered on a smile to hide his grimace.

Raihan loved social media, he really did, but in times like this he wished his fans weren't so dutiful in their mission of capturing pictures of him. He knew there were several different fan accounts out there, some for a while even suspecting him and Piers had something going on, but the ones of he and Leon were the most popular. They were filled with blurry or zoomed in pictures of them out to lunch or even shopping with captions commenting on how close the two were all tagged with their ship name of ‘Raieon’.

While some fans were simply in awe at their nine or so years of friendship, others were insistent that they were more than friends. While Raihan wished this to be true, and may have admittedly spent some time reading through the arguments of their status in the comments of these fan taken pictures on the topic trying to see what his fans supposedly saw, he refused to entertain the idea with any of these magazines. He was only eighteen and still a bit new to being a gym leader but he knew that any wrong word or too long of a pause could be the next big blow up and even hurt one of their careers. Even with Rose backing him and handling everything Leon did, Raihan didn’t want to take the chance of putting a scandal on Leon’s clean record. 

“Well ya know the saying, keep your friends close and your enemies closer!” Raihan laughed and he swore he saw the woman’s eye twitch in annoyance.

The woman paused for a moment as she tried to come up with another indirect question before finally she leaned the topic into their rivalry which Raihan easily twisted into boasts about his Pokemon and their training. He had to admire her determination to try and segway one of the questions back toward Leon but before she could get any footing to do so the time slot for their interview finally came to a close. Feeling a bit guilty for how frustrated she seemed Raihan draped an arm over her and called his Rotom out for a photo- sending her the picture after posting it on his Pokegram and offering her a wink and a wave as he disappeared.

Once alone again in his trailer he collapsed on the couch with a groan. He had a three day schedule and while he knew today's interview was going to be the worst of it, he still felt drained already. Interviews like this always left him stuck in his thoughts- all of which revolved around the Champion of Galar. Honestly Raihan wished he could see what these magazines and his fans saw, because to him in all of those pictures be it by fan or paparazzi, Leon looked at him the same way he always had. That beaming smile and hardened gaze hadn’t changed in the last nine years. Sure they were closer now after so long but despite Raihan’s efforts of flirting with his friend he never saw any hint of progress or reciprocation from Leon.

Raihan had been trying to get his point across to the other for a few months now at least, ever since having one of their sleepovers, that were getting fewer and far between thanks to Chairman Rose. Both boys were on the couch with Raihan sitting down and Leon laying down with his legs thrown over the taller’s watching some stupid horror movie. Raihan hadn’t been paying too much attention to the cheesy jump scares until his phone was thrown out of his hand and he had a lap full of started Champion. The dragon trainer couldn’t help but laugh but he was quick to wrap his arms around Leon in attempt to comfort the other.

It wasn’t like they hadn’t hugged before, hell they had shared a bed several times but this felt different. As Leon made himself comfortable in his lap since he hadn't been shooed away, ready to hid his face in Raihan’s chest should another scare happen, Raihan turned his attention to the boy he held and it all just kinda clicked. He liked holding Leon like this- liked having him pressed so close and being able to practically feel his heartbeat. When Leon snuck an embarrassed smile up at Raihan like an apology Raihan blamed his repressed teenage hormones when his gaze fell on the soft lips of his friend and the idea of leaning down and kissing him crossed his mind.

Since then Raihan couldn’t get that particular idea to leave his head, it even invaded his dreams, and just when Raihan felt like he was over his sudden silly crush Leon would do something like put his hair up in a ponytail and Raihan would become breathless and enamored all over again.

A knock on his trailer door had Raihan sitting up and forcing himself out of his thoughts. Without really thinking he called for the person to enter expecting his manager, not the man that had just been invading his thoughts yet again.

“You look tired, did I come at a bad time?” Leon smiled sheepishly as he closed the door behind him and stood on the steps.

“I’m never too tired for you champ, although I am surprised to see you.” Raihan was sure he would have remembered if he was going to see Leon on any of these sets as that was an extremely rare chance. Dressed in full champion gear, Raihan wondered if maybe he had missed something though until Leon spoke again.

“Oh! I was in the area and got lost headed back to the stadium and uh I saw your name on the door so I thought I’d see if you wanted to go to lunch.” His laugh was carefree as always despite just admitting he was two entire towns over from where he was supposed to be and now in Stow-on-Side.

Raihan sighed heavily but didn’t try to hide the smile on his face as he stood. “In the area.” He scoffed but grabbed his jacket none the less and the two headed out the door on to the lot, a few staff members fumbling their tasks when they saw Leon emerge. “You’re a riot mate.” He teased slinging an arm over his shoulder as they headed out.  
\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

𝘕𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘦𝘯

It was hard to really flirt with Leon when his every move was documented and mapped out for him due to his Champion title. For a while if they weren’t scheduled for a match Raihan would go weeks without seeing the other and they would have to rely on texting each other- and Leon was even more oblivious to Raihan’s advances in this format.

When Rose had begun to enact his plan for Eternatus, although none of them knew at the time that was what he was doing, Raihan jumped at the chance to see Leon more since he was usually left unattended. Of course this led to Leon finding himself towns away from where he needed to be, but it also gave him the free time to hang out with Raihan either to spar or just watch a movie.

The dragon trainer felt like he was locked in another loosing battle however as Leon seemed to be immune to all his charms, or rather he was too dense to see that Raihan was flirting with him. Raihan had even been as bold as to take hold of Leon’s hand on a walk in the wild area one time and the champion simply laughed and said it was a great idea and he was less likely to get lost this way. What made it worse was almost everyone in their friend group, except for the one who mattered, caught on to Raihan’s feelings. Sonia had even pulled him aside one night at a league dinner and asked him out right which of course, feeling caught, Raihan confessed and begged her to help him. Sonia helping led to Nessa helping, and the two had even gotten Piers involved when they set Leon and Raihan up for a concert night in Spikemuth. The result of that had been the discovery that Leon got extremely clingy when tipsy but also very sleepy so all flirting was abandoned in favor of making sure Leon got tucked safely into his bed in Wyndon.

Raihan wasn’t ready to give up yet however. The more Rose stepped back to handle whatever it was he was doing the more Raihan went out of his way to make a move on Leon. He took the champion out to dinner on a roof top restaurant in Ballonlea, planned a small get away to the wild area for just the two of them, and even made a standing date for them to have lunch in Hammerlocke every week on Tuesdays after they sparred. Raihan went out of his way to touch Leon in some capacity too. He’d started to reach out to brush the champions hair out of his face, or tug on his hand to correct Leon’s sense of direction or even stand close enough that their shoulders touched whenever the opportunity was presented. Through it all Leon acted like nothing was out of place and the dragon trainer grew more frustrated yet more determined every day. 

Finally Raihan was sure he had a break through when the whole group went to the summer carnival in Wyndon. In tradition with a carnival there was a Ferris Wheel which Sonia and Nessa made sure Raihan and Leon went on making sure they stood in line in such a way that the two would get in a basket together.  
“I know I fly all the time but, it’s pretty up here.” Leon chuckled as they headed toward the top of the attraction, his attention on the lights below them.

The dragon trainer hummed in agreement but his gaze was on the man in front of him, captivated with how Leon’s golden eyes glittered with the reflection of the lights he was admiring. He looked ethereal in the different colored lights that flashed through the windows of their cart and for once Raihan felt nervous, wringing his hands in his lap. 

Soon the cart came to a stop at the top and Leon turned from the window to face Raihan properly, a soft smile on his lips while he tilted his head in question at the gym leader. “Something up?” 

“Nothing mate, just noticing how much more handsome you’ve gotten over the years. If I’m not careful you’re gonna give me a run for my money.” He flashed a fanged smirk in the other’s direction while he delivered the line as nonchalantly as he could. He had commented on Leon’s looks before so he didn’t expect much to come of it this time, so when Leon’s eyes widened and his cheeks dusted pink the gym leaders heart soared.

“A-Ah well I doubt that.” He mumbled before quickly turning to look outside once more as they began to circle back down.

Raihan’s smile refused to leave his lips even after they stopped at the bottom and exited, their friends calling for them from a nearby food stall. Although the flush in his cheeks was gone, every time Raihan brushed against Leon he could feel the smaller tense then relax for the remainder of the night and the gym leader wrote that down as a win in his book. Sonia must have too from the wink she shot Raihan over her shoulder as they went to the next attraction.

When they parted ways that night he caught Leon’s gaze for just a moment and while a pink hue rose oh his cheeks, a small smile also found his lips and Raihan had never felt so in love.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------

𝘛𝘸𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘺

The crowd was roaring around him, the screams deafening as confetti shot up into the sky only to fall back down in a flurry into the stadium in celebration of the finished match. Raihan heard nothing except his own heart pounding however as he stared at the two figures on the pitch below through the brightly colored haze and while he knew he was too far for it to be logical, he swore he could hear Leon’s heartbeat too.

He watched with wide eyes as Leon strode toward the middle of the pitch with his head held high only to stop in front of the young female trainer already waiting for him there. If Raihan hadn’t just witnessed the match he would have guess from the other’s confident approach that once more Leon was the victor. But Raihan had watched the match and when Leon unfastened and removed his cape, kneeling down after gathering it in front of him to hold it out to the girl before him, the new champion, the reality of it crashed into him.

Leon had lost.

Leon had lost his title to a young trainer named Gloria. A trainer that had defeated all the gym leaders in the Champion cup including himself. A trainer that had captured Eternatus the day before and helped settle the rampaging dynamaxed Pokemon throughout Galar. A trainer that now stood tall and proud as Leon fastened his cape-the Champion’s cape- around her shoulders while the crowd cheered at the top of their lungs.

A trainer that wasn’t Raihan.

Tearing himself away Raihan excused himself from the VIP box reserved for gym leaders, apologizing to Milo and Gourdie as he squeezed past them and out into the deserted hallway. With his hands tucked into the pocket of his hoodie he let himself wander aimlessly until he stopped in front of the locker room. He stared for a moment at the bright red door before he leaned against the wall beside it and waited, the screams of the crowd were faint but still going.

He didn’t have to wait long before he heard footsteps echo down the hall and he lifted his head to watch as Leon stopped beside him facing the door Raihan was next to. Lavender locks obscured his face from how he had his head tilted downward and Raihan took note of the hands clenched at his sides. For a moment they were both quiet, waiting.

“Ya did good mate. Strong match as usual.” Raihan kept his words low but they still seemed too loud for the hall they were in.

Leon stood a moment longer in silence before slowly he lifted his head to stare at the door beside him, jaw clenched and eyes wet. Raihan wanted so desperately to reach out for him- to pull him close and tell him it would be okay or to even encourage a rematch. Anything to wipe that look off his best friends face.

“Yeah...thanks.” Leon’s smile was forced and his voice hollow. He refused to look up at Raihan as he stepped forward quickly to disappear into the locker room.

Raihan stayed leaned against the wall for a moment longer before he pushed off of it and began his way back down the hallway and toward the exit.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

𝘛𝘸𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘺 – 𝘢 𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘬 𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳

Raihan had never seen so much activity in Postwick before today. The whole town was out milling about as they finished preparing for both their champion and their former champion to return home. The town square was spotted with vendors and kids running around with Charizard figures while the crowd in front of the train station grew with each passing minuet as the hour neared. Raihan himself was leaned against one of the stone walls behind the crowd, his hood up in attempt to blend in. He had flown in on Flygon this morning to help set up for the welcome home party at Leon’s house and now his mission was to make sure both Leon and Gloria made it to the party on time without Gloria getting caught in the crowd or Leon wandering out of the town.

A loud roar cried out from above them and Raihan watched as a familiar orange mass came to land among the crowd, Leon dismounting first before helping Gloria off. The gathered audience cheered as they landed and got only louder as they chorused an off-timed “Welcome home!” to both native trainers. Leon was still dressed in his Champion attire with the exception of the cape which Gloria now donned over her own matching attire. The two greeted the crowd back and Raihan watched as Leon’s big brother instincts kicked in as he shielded Gloria a bit from the sudden attention.

The two thanked the citizens of Postwick for their support in their journeys as they began to break away from the group. It was a struggle but once on the other side, the crowd waiting with baited breath, Leon tapped Gloria's shoulder to get her attention before leaning down to whisper in her ear. Raihan watched as a smile took over her lips and she gave a firm nod as both of them turned toward the crowd and with a flourish, Leon struck his Charizard pose and Gloria struck her own victory pose. They stilled for a moment for pictures before they gave one last farewell wave and turned to head to the house.

They only took a few steps before Raihan caught Leon’s gaze and he straightened to approach them, ruffling Gloria’s hair in greeting while he slung an arm over Leon’s shoulder.

“Gotta make sure you two make it to the party.” He explained while the trio began to walk that way. Raihan didn’t miss the soft considering smile Leon shot his way.

If they thought the crowd at the station was loud they were mistaken as the gathered gym leaders and Champion cup contenders cheered in greeting as they neared the gate. Hop and Marnie ran out to hug Gloria, Bede trailing semi-reluctantly behind while the gym leaders, save for Opal and Kabu, all ran to embrace Leon in an obnoxious group embrace, squishing Leon in the middle. Everyone took turns congratulating the two and shedding a few tears before letting go when Leon’s mom called them to the side yard for food. Leon stopped to greet Kabu with a firm handshake and then Opal with a kiss to the hand and a comment on her retirement before letting Sonia pull him toward the buffet on the table.

Once everyone was seated with their plates the conversation flowed around the table naturally. In a way it was overwhelming with the side conversations happening on different ends and how loud a few of them got when sharing stories and memories but the whole scene was the epitome of one large happy family. For the first time since the loss Leon’s smile was genuine as he joked around with Milo and Piers, his laugh loud and boisterous when he watched Hop smear cake on Gloria’s cheek before having to scramble away from the table to avoid the same attack.

Raihan must have had a weird look on his face since Sonia reached over to poke him in the ribs and startle him. Once having his attention she leaned over to whisper to him.

“You should tell him.” Even though her voice was soft Raihan glanced about nervously before replying in his own hushed tone.

“Tonight? No way look at him.” He jerked his head to where Leon was using his own mom as a shield to hide from both Hop and Gloria who were each armed with a plate of cake.

“Exactly. Tell him. You need to, soon.” She pressed.

Raihan pursed his lips as he regarded her before shaking his head. Leon still hadn’t really responded to most of his advances and while he never pushed him away, Raihan just felt like he needed a bit more time. And now with Leon dethroned and Rose out of the picture he had plenty of time to continue in his game of wooing Leon.

When Raihan looked up again his eyes locked with Leon’s, gold eyes filled with mirth and cheek smeared with white and red frosting. There was something else there as they stared at each other from across the table, chaos around them, neither one willing to break first as a new challenge was set forth by Raihan.

To win Leon’s heart once and for all.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

𝘛𝘸𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘺 𝘰𝘯𝘦- 𝘢 𝘧𝘦𝘸 𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘬𝘴 𝘢𝘨𝘰

Raihan knew the tower was important to Leon and when he saw the outcome at the gala celebrating the grand opening he knew it was going to strive under Leon’s care. The former champion radiated tiredness at the event though he tried his best to hide it, but he also stood proud when people stepped up to congratulate him so Raihan decided not to comment. Besides it had been a few months since he had last seen Leon and he wasn’t going to ruin it with questioning Leon’s sleep schedule. Especially not when Leon looked absolutely stunning in the red tailored overcoat he donned that would have looked ridiculous on anyone else.

His mane flowed free down his back and as usual Raihan had to suppress the urge to run his fingers through those purple locks. He had only given in to the urge when he brushed his hair back later that evening on the balcony after admitting to the Chairman that he missed him, marveling at how soft it felt in his touch and how warm Leon’s cheek was.

When a moment of no response passed Raihan spoke again, teasing Leon about the ruffled fabric at his neck. As much as he wanted to just reach forward and pull him close Raihan would play the long game and wait for the perfect moment.

Raihan soon learned that even he had a limit to patience. When Leon all but stopped responding to his messages and went MIA for another couple of months the gym leader decided enough was enough.

Rose was out of the picture and while Leon was still well loved he was no longer the poster child of Galar. In hindsight Raihan had assumed these two things would have made it easier for him to play his game and to get Leon to realize his feelings, instead he saw him even less as he holed himself up in the tower. So the dragon trainer gave into his instincts and decided he would go and get his prince to come down whether he wanted to or not and sweep him away.

As soon as Raihan escaped the tower, Leon’s hat in hand, he pulled out his phone to call Melony for a favor. When Raihan told her he was going to confess on the trip the ice-type leader was more than happy to visit Hammerlocke the next day and give him the key to her cabin on route nine along with a hug for good luck.

The week went by slow for Raihan but he used the time to plan their trip the best to his ability. He couldn’t wait any longer. Even if his feelings weren’t returned he didn't care, the gym leader had waited too long, three years too long, for the former champion- he needed to at least try and get these feelings off his chest.

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

𝘛𝘸𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘺 𝘰𝘯𝘦- 𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵

Raihan never wanted to part from the temptation of his rival’s lips but he also didn’t wish to overwhelm Leon with his sudden forwardness. The events of the day had caught up to the gym leader quickly and when he had taken in Leon’s confused features, highlighted by the firelight behind him, he couldn’t contain himself any longer.

When Raihan did finally pull away he couldn’t help the soft laugh that escaped when he noticed Leon try to follow after. Once disconnected he watched as Leon slowly opened his eyes, honey colored irises searching while his tongue peaked out to touch where they had just been connected and Raihan wanted to lean in and kiss him again.

“Lee...I’ve been flirting with you for a while, I’m so glad you noticed.” He teased softly as his thumbs stroked over the other man’s warm cheeks.

“I thought I was imagining it.” Leon’s voice was soft but there was a lit of hope to it that made Raihan’s heart pound with the possibility.

“And I thought I was being pretty forward but I guess not.” 

Leon smiled softly as Raihan laughed. He felt almost like he was drunk or in a dream, but Raihan felt too real in his arms and his lips tingled from their kiss.

“I think I preferred this approach to be honest.”

The dragon trainers eyebrows shot up in surprise at the comment as he took in the small smirk on the ex-champion’s lips. “Oh? Well, then lets try it again- to make sure all my feelings get across.”

He didn’t give Leon a chance to respond before he was leaning forward again. This time however Leon met him halfway and kissed back just as eagerly as the gym leader kissed him. Raihan moved one hand to the nape of Leon’s neck while the other slid down to rest on his lower back in order to get a better grip and pull him flush against him, Leon gasping into his mouth in surprise. A small growl bubbled up in Raihan’s throat and he tilted his head for a better angle, determined to pull more sounds out of the other man.

When they parted again both men were left trying to catch their breath, chests flush and hearts pounding in tandem. Raihan rested their foreheads together and both trainers shared a soft smile as they gazed into the other’s eyes.

“I love you Leon.” Raihan hummed as he bumped his nose into the former champion’s eliciting a chuckle from him.

“I love you too Rai.”

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------

“So? How’d it go?” Sonia’s voice floated through the speaker, her face on the screen exclaiming her excitement and curiosity. The cell service had returned to the cabin later the next morning.

With a smirk and a wink Raihan held a finger to his lips in a shushing gesture before he tilted his phone down to reveal the still sleeping man perched on his chest. The resounding squeal of excitement that followed had Leon groaning in complaint and Raihan chuckling before he disconnected the video call. Not even a minuet later both of their phones began to chime with notifications of congratulations and ‘I knew it!’s from their peers.

Leon glared at him softly as the messages kept coming but Raihan simply leaned down swiftly to capture his pout with a kiss. They could deal with their friends later. Right now it was just them and Raihan was never going to let his champion go.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading! This story was self-indulgent so I'm glad yo all enjoyed it!
> 
> I have a short holiday series for these two already in the works as well as some MHA oneshots. :)

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! This was gonna be a one shot but I guess now its a short story. Rating may change for eventual shut but I'll probably make it a different chapter so it can be avoided. Its been a while since I've written anything so comments/ constructive criticism are very much welcome!
> 
> This is un beta read as well so sorry for any mistakes.


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